Those who live on the seacoasts of Canada and who enjoy eating clams and mussels know that a “red tide” is a bad thing. It is a discolouration of seawater due to an unusually high concentration of algae. In many cases it is harmful or fatal to various types of wildlife and humans can become seriously ill from eating shellfish contaminated by the algal bloom. Canada has just experienced an electoral red tide, which has contaminated our national psyche and threatens to harm much of what we hold dear. Our nation has chosen fiscal slavery, moral anarchy, and social injustice. It is unbelievable to me and yet it is true: by a combination of misrepresentation in the media and the myopic self-interest of politicians and confused portions of the electorate, effectively hemmed in by narrow narratives, our beloved Canada has come “out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

In historical perspective, it’s fascinating how the heart of a nation could be captured and turned in a few short weeks. The sparring in a couple of debates, a few careless words, a multitude of ever-dimming polls, the threats from Red and Blue to either “defeat Harper at all costs,” or “make sure ‘just not ready’ Justin doesn’t ascend to the throne” have once again culminated in a national lemming-plunge of votes for or against the incumbent party. (By the way, “just not ready” contained within itself an error in judgment. It implied that—given enough time to mature—one day Justin would be ready. It ignored his policy flaws, such as his insistence that no Liberal MP could represent the interests of the pre-born. It implied that his youth was the only impediment to his competence, rather than his chosen philosophy. The truth is that unless he adopts another world view, Justin will never be ready to provide the kind of leadership Canada needs.)

It is a sad commentary on public awareness and economic understanding that both Red and Blue could speak about the deficit and balanced budgets, each in his own way, and receive no significant push-back from media or voters. In fact, Justin’s promise—to run deficits for several years in order to get things we want now—is unprecedented. What thinking people would deliberately choose further servitude to foreign lenders? Yet that is what Canada’s people have chosen, with little regard to long-term consequences. Mr. Harper’s now-irrelevant claim that Canada has achieved “budget balance” was not seriously challenged by the media as a whole. Most Canadians apparently do not understand the significance of, nor the difference between “annual deficits” and the accumulated national debt. Although his claim did not sway sufficient voters to save his government, it wasn’t because voters could see that a one-time $1.8 billion surplus was a poor trade for a $155 billion increase in the national debt. Perhaps they won’t notice when our national debt continues to grow over the next four years. After all, consciously or not, they voted for it! That is one promise our new PM will probably keep.

And, of course, our nation has chosen to reject a PM and a party that have been lukewarm at best on the topic of abortion. Our nation has chosen instead a leader and a party committed to the status quo, abortion-on-demand. Worse yet, our new PM is so comfortable with the shedding of innocent human blood that he has said he will not allow any of his MPs to vote for protection for the pre-born. I fear for our nation because our people—at least a sizeable majority if we include the similarly-inclined but electorally ill-favoured NDP—have chosen death over life and debt over fiscal prudence. I do not claim the Conservatives have been fiscally prudent (did I mention the national debt?) and I don’t blame voters for being cynical about the claim but to choose someone who says that “the budget will balance itself”?

Of course, voters in 30 electoral districts across Canada had an opportunity to choose “none of the above” and instead to give their votes to the CHP candidates who so nobly advanced the cause of both fiscal sanity and moral conviction. Some voters did, approximately 15,000 of them, but most took the cautious approach that has kept the CHP from gaining national prominence or being seen as a credible threat. Most Canadian voters who had CHP candidates in their ridings chose to bypass them even if they thought highly of their policies and individual characters. They chose to give their votes instead to someone they thought more likely to win. In this, they truly wasted their votes since they neither elected a Conservative government nor sent an electoral message to the big parties and the media. So many thought they had to do something to keep Mr. Harper in office. That is an obviously-failed strategy. As individuals, we do not control the outcome of elections. We have a part to play and a duty to perform. The results are up to God. We need to be faithful and let our conscience guide our decisions—not just at the polls but in all we do.

Pray for our new PM and our new MPs. May God guide their thoughts and inspire them to new and courageous policies. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. May an awe and reverence for God overtake this Parliament.

I want to heartily thank all our CHP candidates who have given so generously of their time, energy and talents to make a difference in 2015! A big thank you also to their families and their campaign team volunteers and our many members and supporters across the country who have sacrificed for the cause. My campaign in Ottawa was only made possible by the sacrifices of others and I know many of our candidates could say the same. Thank you all! Together we have declared to our fellow citizens the importance of the biblical principles upon which this nation was founded. For those reading this who are not yet members, we invite you to join CHP Canada and help us present our Better Solutions to our needy nation.

Comment on this Communiqué